OBAMA: Republicans Are Afraid Of Rush Limbaugh, And That's Why They Won't Speak Out Against A Government Shutdown

President Barack Obama said in an interview aired Friday that
some Republican lawmakers will not speak out against shutting
down the government because they are afraid of how conservative
radio host Rush Limbaugh will talk about them on the air.

Obama lumped in Limbaugh with other common Republican sentiments,
such as fear of a primary challenge from a more conservative
opponent.

"Nobody thinks that's good for the middle class," Obama told
CNN's Chris Cuomo in an interview. "So the
question is ultimately, if you are putting the American people
first, if you are prioritizing them, then this shouldn't be that
difficult.

"And I've made this argument to my Republican friends privately.
And, by the way, sometimes they say to me privately, 'I agree
with you, but I'm worried about a primary from, you know,
somebody in the Tea Party back in my district,' or, 'I'm worried
about what Rush Limbaugh is going to say about me on the radio.
And so you got to understand, I'm — it's really difficult.'"

"Well, you know what? I can't force these folks to do what's
right for the American people, because they're independently
elected, it's a separate branch of government, and I don't have a
vote in Congress. But what I sure as heck can do is stay focused
on what I know will be good for the American people."

Obama has publicly expressed this sentiment before. In the
aftermath of the fiscal cliff deal in January, he slammed Limbaugh and Fox News for being
what he saw as a major source of partisan gridlock in
Washington.